Travel JUNGLE GEM

Ixtapa, 125 miles north of Acapulco on Mexico’s Pacific coast, is a resort area so new that few people know about it. But give it time. Designed from scratch and set in the middle of nowhere, it’s already making waves. The reason: good planning.

The Mexican Government has embarked on an extraordinary course to attract vacationers. Its approach is getting wide attention from other Latin American countries and lately, Canada. Sound reasoning guides the Mexican effort: Ecological balance takes precedence, and farmlands and other viable economic resources are kept intact. Cancun, an early experiment on the east coast, and now Ixtapa, its western counterpart, are exciting landmarks that may lead the world to sensible resort planning and more enjoyable vacationing for all.

Before Fonatur (Mexico’s parent tourist organization) started building resorts, architects, land developers, archaeologists and ecologists explored the country in small planes. Two hundred mountain and coastal areas on the Caribbean, the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific were assessed for climate, beaches, scenic beauty and proximity to Mayan, Toltec, Olmec and Aztec archaeological sites. No infringement on agriculture, mining or Mexico’s ancient cultural patrimony was to be allowed. One Mexican official admitted, “We don’t want another Acapul-co.” No more Miami Beach-style over-commercialization, shore and people pollution or walling-off of beaches with high-rises.

With that philosophy in mind, Ixtapa has been divided into zones for hotels, condominiums, private villas, shopping, golf, beaches and marinas. Buildings must conform to strict regulations in height (no more than nine stories) and density (50 to 55 guest rooms per acre). Each hotel, shop, restaurant, gas station, laundry – whatever – must fit master plans.

“It’s not quite like zoning,” I was told by Romarico Arroyo, director general of Fonatur. Well-qualified for his job, Arroyo has taught architecture, worked in the Mexican equivalent of HUD and knows the ins and outs of international finance. “Land parcels must be economically viable for planning uses,” he said. “Entrepreneurs may build neither more nor less than their contracts permit. They must conform to our designs. Land use is disallowed if there’s any indication that it may not be self-supporting.”

By air, Ixtapa is 45 minutes from Mexico City (Mexicana and Aeromexico Airlines now have daily flights from Mexico City to the resort). Primeval jungle clothes the mountains en route. Then the plane dips into the high Sierra Madre, coasting down between peaks to the new airport near Zihuatenejo. The airport is designed for international flights, and equipped to handle take-offs and landings of super-planes like the 747. Ixtapa’s shores are only 20 minutes away by car.

Without the Mayan/Toltec temples and pyramids that give Cancun a cultural edge, Ixtapa relies on sun, surf, sand, scuba diving and sailing to work its magic. Still, the reasoning behind Cancun prevails: designs to fit the landscape, tasteful solid comforts, open skies, virgin country.

Approaching by car, Ixtapa suddenly looms into view from a high hill-clinging road. It’s set among palms on an old coconut hacienda, where a sweeping crescent of sandy beach extends farther than the eye can travel. At our hotel, the El Presidente Playa de Palmas, we settled into colorful rooms with balconies. Tiled and beamed, with a contemporary Spanish ambiente, the hotel’s three-story layout embraces a huge pool and an open tropical bar and cafe. Surf invitingly drums on the shore just beyond the cafe.

During my September visit, the 304-room El Presidente and the 226-room Aristos were the only hotels open. Rates are reasonable. The Aristos, for instance, charges $26 to $28 per day without meals year-round. The golf club (open to all hotel guests in Ixtapa) and a small modern shopping center and dining plaza were also ready. The 300-room Playatel Hotel is scheduled to open this month and a Holiday Inn will be completed in March.

Though these are only cornerstones to a more complete resort, everybody we met was ecstatic with Ixtapa. Mariachi bands strummed in the dining rooms of our hotel, and guests danced in the disco-’theque till all hours. Wine and cheese tastings before dinner were regular complimentary bashes, though really more like sumptuous buffets. Our glasses were never empty. The occasion gave us a chance to mix with guests from several Latin American countries, a likeable crowd.

Some welcome news: The water is safe at Ixtapa. Acutely aware of turista, Fo-natur has pulled out all stops to control the problem. The most advanced water purification systems have been installed, and workers are carefully trained in sanitary techniques before resorts are opened.

The El Presidente provides plenty of entertainment: Hawaiian luaus, fiestas, day and night games and diversions, all the action of a cruise ship or a Club Méd-iterranée. Tennis courts have been provided, and there’s more tennis and golf at the Club de Golf Palma Real. The Club has four tennis courts lit for night play, a pro shop (with comparatively steep prices) and equipment for rent. Robert Trent Jones, Jr. designed the par 72 golf course.

From the El Presidente, a new road leads to the marina, where both private and public docking areas are being built. The docks are to be finished “sometime this winter.” (No one could pinpoint an exact completion date.) The marina will be surrounded by a system of canals, weaving in and out of bridged islands and walkways. This little Venice will rise into the mountains, to terraced levels serviced by cable cars. Private homes and condominiums will be located there.

From high lookouts, we stood in awe of Ixtapa’s miles of mountain greenery and open beaches. Fonatur is going to great pains to conserve the virgin land, but Ixtapa is also being groomed for people. In the 200,000-acre mountain wilderness fronting the hotels, horse and walking trails are being traced into the quiet jungle. A botanical garden is lush with old lime trees, coconut palms, orchids and other tropical plants. Hansom cabs tour the 18-hole golf course and gardens. Black swans glide on the golf course lagoon, which is skirted by a bicycle path.

In the nearby coastal fishing village of Zihuatenejo (a 10-minute drive by shuttle bus from Ixtapa), outdoor cafes, restaurants, and markets are the lures. Las Pal-mas, a restaurant under a palm-thatched lanai, serves very good deep-fried shrimp and fish. From the marina, boat excursions to island beaches are run daily. Bus and auto package tours to Acapulco, (one-and-a-half hours away by car) are also run from Zihuatenejo and from the Aristos Hotel in Ixtapa. Zihuatenejo’s markets have piles of very good hand-crafted jewelry, embroidered shirts, straw hats, silverware and other bargains, at a fraction of the prices charged in fashionable boutiques.

Zihuatenejo, a forgotten hamlet for more than 200 years (until Ixtapa began to take shape), also comes within Fonatur’s scope. The organization is improving housing and upgrading the environment with water and sewage treatment plants. Training schools in Zihuatenejo have already prepared locals for the expanding resort, and well-designed houses for incoming workers are being built on the town’s outskirts. While I was there, an enthusiastic group of doctors and nurses arrived to open a new wing in Zihuatenejo’s hospital, which is equipped to handle the needs of international travelers as well as locals.

Ixtapa is already into its peak season, the mild, dry period from October to May, and the resort is growing fast. As with Cancun (and three more Fonatur resorts on the drawing boards), Ixtapa is a Brave New World for vacationers. It’s a name to remember.